Across Venezuela, residents wonder how long they’ll be waiting.

Venezuela has experienced a severe decade of economic and political crisis, led by Nicolás Maduro. Now, as the threat of US intervention looms, Venezuelans are going through a cycle of anxiety and uncertainty. How long will this standoff last? Who would replace Maduro?

In the meantime, they still need to afford groceries, go to work and try to keep their lives moving.

Ana Vanessa Herrero is an investigative reporter with the Washington Post and based in Caracas. She’s a native Venezuelan and has been speaking with her community throughout her time reporting there. She tells host Noel King about daily life in Venezuela, what residents are thinking, and how they’re preparing for a possible war.

Below is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.

The US has been attacking boats, alleging that these are drug traffickers bringing drugs from Venezuela. How are people in Venezuela responding to these attacks at sea by the US?

The reaction is not a unified reaction. The situation, for example, in Sucre, the coast region where all the boats are allegedly coming from, they’re scared. They don’t feel safe that they’re not going to be attacked somehow. But outside of........

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